Career
Baltacha was developed by the famous coach Valeriy Lobanovskyi from Dynamo Kiev hero and one of the most respected football coaches of the 20th century. He was spotted by the Dynamo boss while still a teenager at the Kharkiv academy of footballing excellence which he had left home to attend at the age of 13
In 1979 Baltacha played couple of games for Ukraine at the Spartakiad of the Peoples of the Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics. Baltacha was on the winning side in the Cup Winners" Cup in 1986, the Soviet Top League and Soviet Cup four times, and the Soviet Super Cup on three occasions. His later career was spent in England and Scotland, playing for Ipswich Town and Street Johnstone.
His debut for Ipswich (in which he scored) was the first time a Soviet international had played in the Football League.
He also had a spell as player manager of Inverness Caledonian in the Scottish Highland Football League, and was with Caledonian when they amalgamated with Inverness Thistle and entered the Scottish Football League in 1994 as Inverness Caledonian Thistle. Since 2012 Sergei Baltacha works as Professional Development Phase Lead Coach at the Charlton Athletic Football Club Academy.
